The other day, I bought a DS game at Target. While opening it, I had a nagging thought that the plastic wrap didn't seem to be normal, just kinda different than usual. When I opened the case, I found that the game itself was upside down. Everything else seems perfect...

Factory error? Coincidence?

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Mytocles (MY-toe-cleez)

"Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most!"- I don't remember who said it, and probably neither do they...

Most retail stores have shrink-wrap machines (not really a machine . . . just a roll of it and the hot air gun) for returned items that would result in the "different" wrapping you described. However with the return policies they have in place I doubt they allow this at Target . . . and most people I see in Target's game section don't strike me as gamers . . . here anyway.

In some cases the cheapo-style shrink wrap is the actual manufacturer wrapping. That was the case when I went to buy Professor Layton on the DS and started to make a stink because I thought it was rewrapped.

Funny you mentioned this as I'm always suspect of the games Target sells. Why are some new titles in shrink-wrap and not cellophane? I could understand if they opened up the boxes to insert their own store security tags, but I find it extremely odd they would open them for no reason whatsoever.

Those EBay sellers that write that in their descriptions just crack me...

"Buy this BRAND NEW PS3 from me. I only opened the TOTALLY NEW PS3 to make sure that it worked okay, so you the buyer wouldn't have to worry about getting a PS3 that didn't work. Therefore, this is even better than getting a PS3 at a store, because I've tested your TOTALLY NEW PS3 for you."

I worked at Target for a couple years and it was absolutely not policy to allow opening or "pre-playing" of games (or anything, for that matter). Any item that had been open or damaged was destroyed or sent back to the manufacturer, with a few in-sellable condition (non-perishable, edible, etc) returns being marked "As-Is" repackaged clearance. If you allowed employees to use/buy/take open or broken items it only encourages them to "accidentally" open something. You would be surprised how much shit gets broken and tossed out on a daily/nightly basis during stocking or right off the trucks.

Of course there could be the chance that somebody bought it, decided they didn't want it and re-shrink wrapped it to return it, but I find that pretty unlikely.